How to Build a Corporate Gifting Policy (with Template Sections)

A clear gifting policy protects your company from compliance risk, keeps programs fair and saves teams from reinventing decisions every festive season.

Why you need a gifting policy

• Consistency across teams and locations
• Compliance with anti-bribery and tax requirements
• Budget control
• Security against fraud and misuse
• Speed — fewer ad-hoc approvals

Recommended policy sections

1. Purpose and scope

Explain why the company gives gifts (recognition, relationships, celebrations) and who the policy applies to — employees, contractors, and teams gifting clients, partners and vendors.

2. Definitions

Define gifts, gift cards, awards, incentives, business partners and public officials.

3. Occasions

4. Value limits

Set maximum values per recipient type and occasion. Example structure:

5. Approval workflow

• Who can request gifts
• Approval thresholds
• Compliance review for client and partner gifts

6. Anti-bribery safeguards

• No gifts intended to influence business decisions
• No gifts during active tenders or negotiations
• Strict rules for public officials and government-linked entities
• Respect recipients' own gifting policies

7. Tax handling

• Tracking of employee gift values against perquisite exemptions
• TDS considerations for business partner benefits
• GST documentation requirements

See employee gift card tax rules and GST on gift vouchers.

8. Approved vendors

Specify approved gifting vendors and the process for adding new ones.

9. Security controls

• Code handling rules
• Verification of gift card purchase requests
• Access restrictions

See gift card program security.

10. Record-keeping

Maintain records of recipients, values, dates, approvals and purposes for audit.

11. Receiving gifts

Rules for employees receiving gifts from vendors or clients.

12. Exceptions and violations

Process for exceptions and consequences for violations.

Rolling out the policy

1. Draft with HR, finance, legal and procurement.
2. Review with leadership.
3. Publish on the intranet.
4. Train relevant teams.
5. Review annually.

Making policy practical

Sample policy clauses (for adaptation)

Purpose:

"This policy sets out how [Company] gives gifts, rewards and incentives to employees, clients, partners and other stakeholders, to ensure they are appropriate, fair, compliant and secure."

Client gifts:

"Gifts to clients must be of modest value, must not be given during active tenders or negotiations, must comply with the recipient organisation's gifting policies, and must be recorded in the gifting register."

Verification of requests:

"Any request to purchase gift cards or share gift card codes outside the approved process must be verified through a separate, known communication channel before action is taken."

These are illustrative starting points; have legal and compliance teams review your final policy.

Gifting register template

Policy rollout checklist

• Draft reviewed by HR, finance, legal and procurement
• Approved by leadership
• Published on intranet
• Training for HR, sales, procurement and executive assistants
• Gifting register set up
• Annual review date set

Key takeaways

A clear gifting policy balances generosity with compliance and security. Keep it practical, train the people who use it and review it annually.

Policies work when compliance is easy. A consolidated gifting partner with clear order records and invoices — like Orbit — reduces the effort of following the rules.